Sermon Cloud

A few weeks ago, we read in Acts 8 about Philip and his missionary efforts to the Samaritans and also his encounter with one Ethiopian eunuch. Last week we looked at the conversion of Saul and how he played a vital role in the spread of Christianity throughout the world. These chapters tell of non-Jews coming to faith in Jesus. This was not totally unusual even during the OT times (Rahab, Ruth). But such cases were sort of an “exception”. The Jewish Church leaders probably viewed the conversion of the Samaritans and the Ethiopian as exceptions as well. BUT no one in the early Jewish Church was prepared for the flood of Gentiles that would soon make up a majority of the Church. See, an old barrier existed between Jews and Gentiles – a legal barrier which did not allow a Jew to step foot into the home of a Gentile – God-fearer or not! This barrier seemed destined to remain for eternity. Luke tells us that it was Peter who crossed over that barrier and declared it had been made obsolete by the cross. Jewish Christians should not see Jesus as the savior of Jews alone, but see Jesus as an international savior, one who came to bleed and die for Gentiles of many languages and colors. Peter was the small stone that brought the avalanche of Gentiles into the Church.

TRANSITION: It all began while he was sitting on a roof in Joppa praying. He had a vision of a sheet extended down from heaven with animals on it not fit for a Jew to eat. But to his surprise he was invited to kill and eat. This happened three times. Peter's response was negative – he had never eaten anything unclean before and at that point never intended to. Why was he so opposed?

1. Unclean Meat and Men (10:1-23a)

   1. OT Food Regulations

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    • God gave Moses very strict regulations concerning what animals were clean/not clean.

    • Among the unclean: Four-Footed animals, reptiles and birds of prey (Lev. 11)

    • The animals on the sheet in Peter's vision were in fact “unclean” animals.

    • To eat these creatures would make one “unclean” - a matter to be taken seriously!

    • Leviticus 11:44 I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.

    • By this we can understand why Peter was so taken back by the menu choices.

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   2. Regulations concerning associating with Foreigners

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    • Were connected to the food regulations.

    • Part of the reason: Gentiles ate unclean food which meant they were also unclean.

    • It was also related to circumcision which is why the circumcised believers were so concerned about Peter's actions: You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (11:3)

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    • Circumcision was a sign of cleansing and ingrafting into the faith community.

    • The Passover meal commemorated the release of the Jewish people from slavery.

    • If a foreigner wanted to eat the passover he had to be circumcised.

    • Most God-fearing Gentiles could not bring themselves to be circumcised (understand)

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    • Since Gentiles were for the most part not circumcised, it meant they were unclean.

    • If a clean person touched something unclean it would make them unclean.

    • Stepping into their home and touching their dinner table was as taboo as you could get.

    • John tells us in the 18^th chapter of his gospel that when the Jewish leaders brought their charges against Jesus to Pilate the Roman Governor did not enter the palace to avoid ceremonial uncleanness for they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. (18:28)

    • So getting to close to uncircumcised, pork eating Gentiles was a big no-no!

    • What was God trying to communicate to Peter by inviting him to violate everything he was taught to believe?

    • Taken at face value Peter “legally” defiled himself by eating with Cornelius...or did he?

    • Rise Peter, kill and eat. - No way Lord, I have never eaten anything unclean.

    • Peter, Do not call unclean what God has made clean. (10:15)

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   3. As Peter is pondering the vision, God puts a Gentile named Cornelius in Peter's way.

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    • Cornelius sends men to go summon Peter to tell him the Gospel.

    • Peter was assured by the Spirit this was of God saying: do not hesitate to go with these men – I have sent them.

    • I imagine he was thinking to himself - Was it possible for Gentiles to be made clean?

    • How would he accomplish this?

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    • It is true Cornelius was a “God-fearing” man who was known for his generosity and prayer life.

    • Most Jews had a lot of respect for him – yet for all his good deeds and devout faith he was not circumcised which made him unclean according to Jewish customs.

    • But Cornelius had a vision of an angel who told him specifically to go and bring Peter to his house in Caesarea of all places!

    • Jews hated Caesarea because it was so “Gentile” - so “Roman” and many did not consider it part of Palestine.

    • The Angel told him where he could find him and that Peter was going to give him and his family a message.

TRANSITION: At this point Peter did not fully understand what it all meant. For him to go with them was an amazing act of faith. He was essentially violating major principial barriers that divided Jews and Gentiles. When he arrived he even pointed this out: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. By stepping into the home of Cornelius, Peter was crossing an ancient barrier: he was starting an avalanche.

2. Peter Crosses the Barrier (10:23b-43)

   1. The purpose of the barrier – protect Israel from falling into idolatry and sin.

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    • The practice of disassociation was a precaution – for no pious Jew desired to become ceremonially unclean and such associations would do just that.

    • The dietary laws were an analogy meant to teach them about holiness – they were meant to teach God's people about their own stubborn wicked hearts.

    • But these laws morphed into this idea that the Jewish race was “better” than others.

    • Even in the OT God addressed this attitude in his people: The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. (Dt. 7:7)

    • There was nothing special about Israel – for Abraham was called out of a people group that worshiped false gods.

    • These barriers were meant to protect them from going back!

    • And the Spirit was saying to Peter – no longer is circumcision required.

    • What they eat or under whose table they put their knees is no longer a concern.

    • The meat is clean and Gentiles can now be clean as well.

    • How could this be possible? How would God make Gentiles clean?

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   2. The same way the Jews would be cleansed - by the power of Christ's blood.

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    • God was showing Peter the power of the cross – it makes the detestable acceptable; the unclean – clean – powerful to remove all sin and impurities.

    • Because Christ had come, given his life as an atoning sacrifice – the ancient barrier was now obsolete.

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    • Had the old system of dealing with sin been perfect, there would have been no need for a new system for dealing with sin and uncleanliness.

    • The sacrifice Jesus made was an absolute sacrifice that was to be offered to all races and peoples of the earth – not Jews alone.

    • This was Peter's “a-ha!” moment when he realized Jesus was not only the savior of Jews but of the world – of people from every language and tribe.

    • And this was God's design from the beginning that the Jewish race would serve as the the channel through which salvation would come to the nations.

    • There was another Centurion who came to Jesus and said: “Lord...my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” ⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was astonished...“I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:6-11 (NIV)

    • Psalm 67:1-2 (NIV) May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us...that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

    • In Peter's own words: ^ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (10:43)

    • Yes – EVERYONE, Jew, Greek, American, African, Chinese, Latin American, Arab, Indian, German, Male, Female, Adults, Children, republicans, democrats, libertarians, monarchs, dictators, rich, poor...Jesus is the only Savior.

TRANSITION: The salvation of Cornelius and all the Gentiles who were present was further confirmed to Peter and the Church by the outpouring of the Spirit.

3. Confirmation by the Spirit

   1. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message...For they heard them speaking in tongues

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    • In addition to the visions Peter and Cornelius received – the Holy Spirit who had orchestrated the whole matter was putting a divine stamp of approval on the inclusion of Gentiles into the church.

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    • Cornelius was not only a clean man, he was also a filled man – filled with the Holy Spirit.

    • This shocked the circumcised Christians and for good reason!

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   2. The Spirit's outpouring very significant.

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    • The early church understood that the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost was a clear indicator that the Temple was obsolete for now God's Spirit resided in his people.

    • The inclusion of Gentiles as recipients of the Spirit meant they too were inhabited by God's Spirit.

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    • And now the barrier between Jews and Gentiles had to be declared obsolete – they are all one in Christ – one people, bought with the same precious blood of Christ, indwelt by the same Holy Spirit of God and are together being renewed day by day.

    • A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ^No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. (Rom. 2:28)

    • The outward physical sign was not longer required for the cleaning had been done within

Conclusion: We have Learned that...

1. The Cross demands we give up our prejudices.

   • Last week I mentioned that we can easily become prejudiced against those who are exceptionally wicked or hostile to Christianity, seeing them as too far out of Jesus' reach.

   • We can easily become prejudiced against other races, cultures and languages as well.

   • Racism has been and remains a problem in the Church.

   • As more and more Gentiles came into the church in the first few hundred years after Christ's ascension – they began to look down upon Jews as unworthy of grace because they were the ones who crucified Jesus.

   • This sort of thing still goes on today in the church.

PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION: (Greg and the incident in the library). The person that said this to my brother in Christ did not realize had Christ's sacrifice been only for the Jewish race, he would have been excluded as well. Peter's words - may they ring in our ears: God does not show favoritism!

2. Christ's mission calls us to set aside our cultural preferences and contextualize.

   • Peter was the one who had to set aside his cultural preferences.

   • Past Missionary efforts have been plagued by the prejudice that our cultural preferences higher and even more “sanctified” than that of those who have never heard of Christ.

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  • Thankfully this has changed drastically in modern mission work, but the danger remains.

  • We have our own presuppositions here in America about what authentic Christianity looks like. Consider this quote from Mark Driscoll, a church planter in the northwest.

QUOTE: The undeniable truth is that contextualization is not done just by Christian missionaries in other nations, but it is done by every Christian in every culture--whether they recognize it or not. For example, having the Bible in English rather than the original languages, gathering for church in a building instead of under a tree. While some may protest that Christian faith and worship do not need to be contextualized in America, they are foolishly overlooking that they have already done it. They assume that their contextualization should work for everyone, as if our pluralistic and multicultural nation is somehow homogenous. We are a nation of numerous languages, races, cultures, subcultures, and styles, with tribes of every sort and kind, and Jesus commands that we as missionaries bring good news to each.

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   • When we assume our context should work for everyone we are prejudiced.

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   • Mark Driscoll goes on to say: The gospel will not be held captive to any culture without continually calling it, including church culture, to repentance – (the lesson Peter learned).

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   • The Gospel transcends culture – it is a message of hope that calls all people to repentance and faith in Jesus and it is universal in scope – not bound to any single one of them.

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   • The beauty of the gospel is that a Palestinian and an Israeli Jew, black and white, democrat and republican can find peace around the cross – they can call each other brother/sister.

   • The mission of the Church is a mission to the nomads in Asia, the tribes in the deepest jungles of Africa, gang members in the inner city of Baltimore and politicians on Capitol Hill.

   • How will we reach them unless we speak their language or understand their culture.

   • Until we take our prejudices to the cross, we will find it difficult to demonstrate Christ's desire for all nations to know him.

CLOSER: We have been asking the question over the last few weeks “Who has God put in your way?” It may be someone unexpected who happens to be parked on the side of the road. It might be your worst enemy. It might be someone of a race different than yours – even a race, language or people group that you have personal prejudices against. If you are in touch with the gospel you will acknowledge that it calls us to set aside cultural preferences and prejudisms for the sake of making Christ known. There is no race, no language, no people group anywhere who is out of Christ's reach. Jesus wants us to take his name to everyone, everywhere. This is our part in continuing the work Jesus began.